System and method for dynamically changing a display

ABSTRACT

A technique for managing the display of content on a display of an electronic device may be based on a distance of the user to the display. The distance may be estimated by analyzing video data to detect a face of the user and establish a distance parameter based on a relationship between facial features. Based on this information, the displayed content may be adjusted to facilitate easy viewing of the displayed content, such as by changing the size of the displayed content, the layout of the displayed content, or the number of visual elements that make up the displayed content.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The technology of the present disclosure relates generally to displayingvisual content on a display and, more particularly, to a system andmethod for controlling the displayed content based on how far a user islocated from the display.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Many electronic devices include a display to display content to a user.Content may include, for example, text, digital images (e.g.,photographs and graphics), icons, menus and so on. One exemplaryelectronic device that includes a display is a mobile telephone.Recently, mobile telephones have become relatively powerful computingdevices that may carry out functions in addition to making calls. Forexample, many mobile telephones can function as music players andcameras. Also, many mobile telephones allow a user to compose messages(e.g., text messages and electronic mail messages), read receivedmessages, and access the Internet, among other functions.

The size of displayed content for a mobile telephone is often static.For instance, text is typically displayed using a predetermined fontsize, and images are displayed using a predetermined amount of thedisplay. Therefore, to see displayed content clearly, the user must bewithin a comfortable viewing range of the display. Some mobiletelephones allow the user to change the scale of displayed content tofacilitate viewing and/or to display more or less detail. But thesechanges involve user interaction with the device.

SUMMARY

To enhance the display of visual content on a display of an electronicdevice, the present disclosure describes an improved technique formanaging the size of content that is displayed and/or managing whatcontent is displayed based on a distance of the user to the display.Distance of the user to the display may be determined using an imagingdevice. Image data from the imaging device may be analyzed to detect aface of the user. The size of facial features and/or a relationshipbetween facial features may be used to approximate the distance betweenthe display and the user. Based on this information, the size of thedisplayed content may be adjusted and/or the content that is displayedmay be selected. In this manner, the user may position himself orherself at a desired distance from the electronic device and still maybe able to comfortably see displayed content even if the distance isfurther away than would allow viewing of the content based on defaultdisplay parameters. As an example, the user may browse the Internetwhile holding a mobile telephone at an arm's length or more than arm'slength where one would ordinarily have to hold the mobile telephone athalf of an arm's length to clearly see the displayed content.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method of controllingvisual content that is displayed on a display of an electronic deviceincludes analyzing a video signal to detect facial features of a user ofthe electronic device and to establish a parameter indicative of adistance of the user from the display based on the detected facialfeatures; and adjusting the displayed content based on the parameter tofacilitate user viewing of the displayed content at the indicateddistance.

According to one embodiment of the method, the parameter is derived froma relationship between at least two of the detected facial features.

According to one embodiment of the method, the adjusting changes a sizeof visual elements from the displayed content.

According to one embodiment of the method, the size is changed byscaling the visual content.

According to one embodiment of the method, the content includes text andthe size of the text is changed by at least one of changing point sizeof the text or changing a font of the text.

According to one embodiment of the method, the adjusting changes alayout of visual elements from the displayed content.

According to one embodiment of the method, the analyzing includesdetermining a viewing angle of the user with respect to the display andthe adjusting includes non-uniformly varying a size of the displayedcontent across the display based on the viewing angle.

According to one embodiment of the method, the analyzing includesdetermining a relative orientation of the user to the electronic deviceand the adjusting includes rotating the orientation of the displayedcontent if the user and the electronic device have differentorientations.

According to another aspect of the disclosure a second method ofcontrolling visual content that is displayed on a display of anelectronic device includes analyzing a video signal to detect facialfeatures of a user of the electronic device and to establish a parameterindicative of a distance of the user from the display based on thedetected facial features; displaying plural items of visual content whenthe indicated distance is less than a predetermined threshold; anddetecting that the indicated distance has increased to be greater thanthe predetermined threshold and, upon the detection, removing at leastone of the plural displayed items from the display and increasing a sizeof a remaining one of the items.

According to one embodiment of the second method, the parameter isderived from a relationship between at least two of the detected facialfeatures.

According to one embodiment of the second method, the plural items ofvisual content are associated with a navigation application thatprovides directions to the user to reach a specified location.

According to one embodiment of the second method, the plural items ofvisual content are associated with an audio file that is undergoingplayback during the displaying.

According to one embodiment of the second method, the item that isincreased in size is artwork associated with the audio file.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, an electronic deviceincludes an imaging device that generates a video signal containing arepresentation of a user of the electronic device; a display thatdisplays visual content to the user; and a controller that analyzes thevideo signal to detect facial features of the user of the electronicdevice and that establishes a parameter indicative of a distance of theuser from the display based on the detected facial features, and whereinthe controller adjusts the displayed content based on the parameter tofacilitate user viewing of the displayed content at the indicateddistance.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the parameter isderived from a relationship between at least two of the detected facialfeatures.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the adjustment isa change in a size of visual elements from the displayed content.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the size ischanged by scaling of the visual content.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the contentincludes text and the size of the text is changed by at least one ofchanging point size of the text or changing a font of the text.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the adjustment isa change in a layout of visual elements from the displayed content.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the controllerdetermines a viewing angle of the user with respect to the display andthe adjustment to the displayed content includes non-uniformly varying asize of the displayed content across the display based on the viewingangle.

According to one embodiment of the electronic device, the controllerdetermines a relative orientation of the user to the electronic deviceand the adjustment to the displayed content includes rotating theorientation of the displayed content if the user and the electronicdevice have different orientations.

According to one embodiment, the electronic device further includes callcircuitry to establish a call over a network.

These and further features will be apparent with reference to thefollowing description and attached drawings. In the description anddrawings, particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed indetail as being indicative of some of the ways in which the principlesof the invention may be employed, but it is understood that theinvention is not limited correspondingly in scope. Rather, the inventionincludes all changes, modifications and equivalents coming within thescope of the claims appended hereto.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to oneembodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one ormore other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of thefeatures of the other embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a mobile telephone as an exemplaryelectronic device that adjusts displayed content based on a distance ofa user from a display of the mobile telephone;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the mobile telephone of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an image of user's face that has beenprocessed to determine the distance of the user from the display;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of a laptop computer as anotherexemplary electronic device where the size of displayed text has beenadjusted based on a distance of the user from the display;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic views of the mobile telephone of FIG. 1mounted to a desktop music stand where the size and type of displayedcontent has been adjusted based on a distance of the user from thedisplay; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communications system in which themobile telephone of FIG. 1 may operate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. It will be understood that the figures are not necessarilyto scale.

In the present document, embodiments are described primarily in thecontext of a mobile telephone. But it will be appreciated that thedescribed techniques could be carried out in operational environmentsother than the mobile telephone. Therefore, the term electronic device,as used herein, may relate to any type of appropriate electronicequipment, examples of which include a portable radio communicationdevice (also referred to as a mobile radio terminal), a pager, acommunicator, an electronic organizer, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a smartphone, a media player (e.g., an MP3 player and/or a videoplayer), a gaming device, an accessory, and a computer. Also, thedisplay may be part of a separate device from a device that generates avideo signal that drives the display. For example, the device thatgenerates the video signal may be a gaming device and the display may bepart of a television.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electronic device 10 is shown.The electronic device 10 includes a display management function 12 thatis configured to adjust the size and/or type of content that isdisplayed on the display 14 depending on a distance between a user andthe electronic device 10. Additional details and operation of thedisplay management function 12 will be described in greater detailbelow. The display management function 12 may be embodied as executablecode that is resident in and executed by the electronic device 10. Inone embodiment, the display management function 12 may be a programstored on a computer or machine readable medium. The display managementfunction 12 may be a stand-alone software application or form a part ofa software application that carries out additional tasks related to theelectronic device 10.

The electronic device 10 may include an imaging device 16. The imagingdevice 16 of the illustrated embodiment is a camera that is directedtoward the user while the user views the display 14. These types ofcameras are available on some mobile telephones to facilitate videotelephone calls (also referred to as video telephony). The imagingdevice 16 may generate a video signal containing a representation ofobjects in the field of view of the imaging device 16. The video signalmay be analyzed by the display management function 12 to identify facialfeatures using a face detection algorithm. The identification of a facemay indicate that a user is viewing the display 14.

Features of an identified phase may be analyzed to determine a distancebetween the user and the display 14. In the illustrated embodiment, theimaging device 16 is located adjacent the display 14 and there is littledifference in the distance between the user and either one of thedisplay 14 or the imaging device 16. In other embodiments, there may bea more substantial difference between these distances. In this event,the difference in distance may be included in any calculations todetermine the distance between the user and the display 14.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, any suitable face detection and/orface recognition technique may be used as part of determining a distancebetween the user and the display 14. Face detection, for example, may becarried out using binary pattern classification where the output of theimaging device 16 is transformed into features and a classifier decideswhether the image contains a face or some other body part, such as atorso or a hand.

One exemplary technique for identifying a face 18 is to analyze imagedata from the video stream that is generated by the imaging device 16 todetect the presence of a pair of eyes 20 located symmetrically about thebridge of the nose 22. FIG. 3 schematically represents the face 18 ofthe user that has been detected by the presence of these features. Inone embodiment, a triangle 24 may be formed by connecting the locationsof the eyes 20 and tip of the nose 22. Using a known focal length forthe imaging device 16, the size of the triangle 24 may be indicative ofhow far the user is located from the display 14. For instance, arelatively large triangle 24 would indicate that the user is close tothe display 14 and a small triangle 24 would indicate that the user isfar away from the display 14. In one embodiment, an estimated distancemay be calculated. In another embodiment, the size of the triangle 24may be compared against a threshold. If the size of the triangle 24 islarger than the threshold, the display management function 12 maypresent content for a close proximity user and, if the size of thetriangle 24 is smaller than the threshold, the display managementfunction 12 may present content for a distant proximity user. Multiplethresholds may be used to provide multiple corresponding content displaytechniques based on a range of possible distances of the user to thedisplay. In this approach, changes to the display based on distance ofthe user to the display may be made in stepped increments as thedistance surpasses or falls below a threshold.

While natural variations in the spacing of facial features may occurfrom person to person, it is possible to estimate user distance to thedisplay based on a carefully selected threshold that is appropriate fora large percentage of the population. In an exemplary embodiment, thethreshold may be selected to correspond to a user distance of about 18inches (e.g., about 45 centimeters) from the display to about 24 inches(e.g., about 60 centimeters) from the display. In one embodiment, thedistance analysis may be calibrated for a person who most frequentlyuses the electronic device 10.

Alternatively, instead of threshold comparisons, a value indicative ofan estimated distance between the user and the display may be generated.Then, the display of content may be adjusted based on the value. In thisapproach, changes to the display based on distance of the user to thedisplay may be made in stepped increments or in a smoother progression.

It will be appreciated, that other techniques based on an identifiedface may be employed for determining a distance between a user and thedisplay 14. For example, the size of facial features (e.g., the size ofthe eyes 20 or the size of the entire face) may be used, the distancebetween facial features (e.g., the distance between the eyes 20) may beused, or a shape made by connecting facial features other than the eyes20 and the tip of the nose 22 may be used. Silhouette detection also maybe used to detect the user and the distance between the user and thedisplay 14.

If no face is detected, then an assumption may be made that any userthat is viewing the display 14 is at a relatively far distance from thedisplay 14. If partial facial features are detected (e.g., when theuser's face is turned or at an angle relative to the optical axis of thefield of the view of the imaging device 16), then a distance assumptionmay be made based on a default value or by analyzing partial facialfeatures (e.g., a single eye and a nose). Also, if multiple faces aredetected, the distance of one of the faces to the display 14 may be usedfor the determined distance. For example, the distance of the closestface to the display 14 may be used.

The video signal from the imaging device 16 may be used in other mannersto estimate the distance between the user and the display 14. Forexample, eye tracking or face recognition (e.g., ascertaining anidentity of the user) may be used. Exemplary facial recognitiontechniques that could be employed include eigenface, fisherface, theHidden Markov Model, neuronal motivated dynamic link matching andthree-dimensional face recognition.

Instead of, or in addition to, face detection and/or face recognition,other objects or body parts could be used, such as the user's hand. Ahand may be used, for example, when the electronic device 10 ispositioned so that a face is unlikely to be in the field of view of theimagining device 16. For example, if the electronic device 10 were usedin a vehicle as a navigation assistance device (e.g., a GPS navigator),the user may wave his or her hand in front of the imaging device 16 at adistance corresponding to a desired scale of the displayed content or adesired amount of displayed information (e.g., a map or text-basednavigation cues).

In one embodiment, the face detection and distance determination may becarried out following the launching of an application and other userinitiated action with the electronic device. The face detection anddistance determination may last a predetermined amount of time, untilthe display management function has made a distance determination, oruntil a determination has been made that no face is present in the imagefield. Periodic updates to the distance determination may be made. Forinstance, every minute or every other minute, the face detection anddistance determination may be carried out to revise the distancedetermination.

Once a distance determination has been made, the display managementfunction 12 may control the size of the content that is displayed on thedisplay in a manner that is appropriate for the distance to facilitateclear viewing of the content by the user. In one embodiment, a database(e.g., a look-up table) may be constructed that contains content sizeinformation for various distances. For each distance, the sizeinformation may include fonts and/or point sizes that may be appropriatefor the distance, scaling or magnification values that may beappropriate for the distance, layout and/or visual object spacing datathat may be appropriate for the distance, icon size that may beappropriate for the distance, and so forth. In addition to sizing thecontent, or instead of sizing the content, the display managementfunction may control the content that is displayed based on the distancedetermination. For instance, while playing music under a determinationthat a user is close to the display, album cover art may be displayedwith artist information, song information and playback data. But if thedistance determination indicates that the user is relatively far fromthe display, only the album cover art may be displayed.

Using the combined distance and sizing information, the displaymanagement function 12 may control the display of content. The layout ofcontent on the display may be dynamically controlled using anyappropriate technique. Exemplary techniques include, changing fontand/or point size of displayed text, modifying a layout that is based onextensible markup language/extensible Hypertext markup language(XML/xhtml), modifying a layout that is based on scalable vectorgraphics (SVG), etc.

Changing the size of displayed content and/or the content itself basedon the determined distance of the user from the display 14 may be usedin connection with other user interface features to navigate throughscreens. For example, scroll bars, tabs and other conventionalfunctionality may still be available to user, even if the content isdisplayed with different size and/or changed based on the distancedetermination.

There are a number of ways in which content and/or visual layout of thedisplay 14 may be managed depending on the distance between the user andthe display. Some of the ways of managing the display of content may bebased on the type of device, the size of the display, and/or theoperational mode of the device (e.g., which application(s) is runningand/or the task that the user is carrying out). Several exemplary waysof controlling the content based on distance between the user and thedisplay are described below. It will be appreciated that the illustratedand described content management techniques are not an exhaustive list,and can be applied in any operational context (e.g., not just in theillustrated exemplary contexts of a computer and a mobile telephone).

With additional reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, shown is an exemplaryelectronic device 10 in the form of a laptop computer that includes thedisplay 14 and the imaging device 16. The imaging device 16 may beintegrated into the electronic device 10 or may be operatively connectedto the electronic device 10. In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, theimaging device 16 may be a “web” camera, for example.

In this embodiment, the distance between the user and the display 14 isdetermined as described in greater detail above. Based on thisdetermination, text that is displayed on the display 14 may be sized incoordination with the determined distance. For instance, in FIG. 4, thetext appears relatively small on the display 14 for when the user islocated relatively close to the display 14 and, in FIG. 5, the textappears relatively large on the display for when the user is locatedrelatively far away from the display 14. In one embodiment, the text isscaled or changed in point size on a dynamic basis based on the distanceof the user to the display. In another embodiment, the font may beselected based on distance of the user to the display.

In addition to dynamically changing the text size and/or changing thefont(s), other changes to the layout of text and/or images may be made.In one embodiment, the spacing between visual elements of the displayedcontent may be changed. In another embodiment, the number of columns inwhich text is presented may be changed. In another embodiment, thetransparency of text and/or graphics may be changed (e.g., if the useris relatively far away, transparence may be decreased to increasereadability and/or visual clarity). In another embodiment, an amount ofblur associated with graphics may be changed.

Also, the visual layout of the display may be changed depending on thedistance between the user and the display 14. For instance, visualelements may be rearranged based on the distance. Also, when the user is“far away,” visual elements may be removed and remaining visual elementsmay be increased in size and when the user is “close-up,” relativelymore visual elements may be displayed. In another embodiment, theforeground and/or background may be adjusted depending on the determineddistance. For example, windows that are side-by-side or staggeredrelative to one another when the user is close may be arranged in anoverlapping manner and/or in a layered manner when the user is far away.

With additional reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, shown is an exemplaryembodiment where the mobile telephone of FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted to(e.g., docked to) a desktop music stand 26 by way of an electricalconnector 28. The desktop music stand 26 may include one or morespeakers 30 that outputs sounds corresponding to a music file or otheraudio content that is played back using the electronic device 10. In theillustrated embodiments, the electronic device 10 is actively playingback an audio file. The audio file may have an associated title(referred to in FIG. 6 as “SongTitle”) and may have been recorded orperformed by an associated artist (referred to in FIG. 6 as“ArtistName”). The audio file also may have an associated image, such ascover art 32. The cover art 32 may be artwork (e.g., illustrated orsimulated subject matter and/or photographic subject matter) that isassociated with an album or CD upon which the song was originallyreleased.

The distance between the user and the display 14 may be determined asdescribed in greater detail above. Based on this determination, thecontent that is displayed on the display 14 may be selected. Forinstance, if the viewer is relatively close to the display 14, such asless than two or three feet from the display 14, then the displaymanagement function 12 may control the electronic device 10 to displaymultiple visual items associated with the audio file. In the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 6, the display content includes the artist's name(e.g., “ArtistName”), the song's title (e.g., “SongTitle”), the coverart 32, and playback information in the form of remaining playtime forthe audio file. In this embodiment, the cover art 32 is sized to consumea portion of the display 14 area, but no the entire display. It will beappreciated that other visual items may be displayed instead of or inaddition to these items.

If it is determined that the user is relatively far away from thedisplay 14, the displayed content may be changed. For example, in theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 7, text-based visual elements have beenremoved from the display and the cover art 32 has been enlarged to takeup a larger amount of the display 14 than if the user were closer to thedisplay 14.

It will be appreciated that the illustrated embodiments are just some ofthe ways in which displayed content may be changed based on a distancebetween the user and the display 14 of an electronic device 10. Inanother embodiment, a portion of a displayed photograph and the size ofthe displayed portion may be based on the user's distance from thedisplay 14. For example, if the user is relatively close to the display14, the entire photograph may be displayed, but of the user isrelatively far from the display 14, the display management function 12may “zoom-in on” a portion of the photograph. This magnified portion ofthe photograph may be displayed so as to take up a larger portion of thedisplay 14 than if the same portion of the photograph were displayedwithout magnification. The rest of the photograph may be omitted fromdisplay, but may be viewed by using scroll bars or another navigationmethod to change the portion of the photograph that is displayed. Theportion that is displayed with magnification may be a predeterminedportion of the photograph, such as a center portion. Alternatively, theportion may be based on a characteristic of the photograph, such aslight balance, color patterns, a facial feature that is detected byanalyzing the image data associated with the photograph, etc.

The technique of magnifying content for display when the user isrelatively far from the display 14 may be applied to content other thanphotographs, such as maps, Internet pages, contact lists, messages, andso forth. Also magnifying content may be combined with other changes tothe manner in which the content is displayed.

Another technique for managing the display of content based on thedistance of the user to the display 14 is to change the scale and/orlayout of a graphical user interface (GUI). Changes may be applied basedon the activity in which the user is engaged. For instance, if an activewindow is not maximized to occupy all or nearly all of the display andthe user is determined to be relatively far away, the active window maybe automatically maximized to enhance viewing. Also, menu bars, systemtrays and other non-active components of the GUI may be removed toprovide more space for active regions components to enhance viewing.These types of changes may be useful, for example, when browsing theInternet or watching a movie and the user is at a distance from thedisplay 14.

In one embodiment, the electronic device 10 may be used as a personalnavigator to display a map. In one operational mode, directions to auser-specified destination may be provided and the map may bedynamically updated as the electronic device 10 travels. The electronicdevice 10 may be a dedicated navigation device (also referred to as aglobal positioning system (GPS) device) or another device that has anavigation function, such as a suitably equipped mobile telephone, apersonal digital assistance or a computer. When functioning in this typeof navigational mode, the display of content may be managed based on thedistance of the user to the display 14. For instance, when the user isrelatively close to the display 14, the layout of a navigation screenmay include a relatively high level of detail, such as secondary roadsand/or roads that are not part of a calculated route to a specifieddestination, icons for lodging, fuel, food and other points of interest,text and/or iconic direction cues, and so forth. When the user isrelatively far from the display 14, the layout of a navigation screenmay include a relatively low level of detail, such as only roads thatare part of the route to a specified destination, minimal on-screendirectional cues and other icons that may clutter the display 14 fordistance viewing.

In one embodiment, the face detection and distance determination mayinclude determining an offset of the user's face to a center of thedisplay 14. If the user is directly in front of the display 14 and,depending on the relative location of the imaging device 16 to thedisplay 14, the detected face of the user may appear in a center regionof the video stream output by the image device 16. In this situation,the displayed content may be display based on the distance between theuser and the display 14 as described above. But if the detect face ofthe user is offset from a center portion of the video stream orotherwise calculated to be viewing the display 14 at an angle, then thedisplayed content may be adjusted based on a calculated viewing angle tothe display 14. In one embodiment, if the user is at an angle to thedisplay 14, the displayed content may be “skewed” so as to benon-uniformly sized across the display 14. For example, if the user isdetermined to be viewing the display 14 from the right, content on theleft-hand side of the display 14 may be displayed with a larger sizethan content on the right-hand side of the display 14. Similarly, if theuser is determined to be viewing the display 14 from the left, contenton the right-hand side of the display 14 may be displayed with a largersize than content on the left-hand side of the display 14. Also, if theuser is determined to be viewing the display 14 from above, content onthe bottom of the display 14 may be displayed with a larger size thancontent on the top of the display 14. Similarly, if the user isdetermined to be viewing the display 14 from below, content on the topof the display 14 may be displayed with a larger size than content onthe bottom of the display 14.

In this manner, the angle and/or tilt of content may be manipulated inpseudo-three dimensional space to make it easier for the user to read orview the content from various directions. The adjustments to thegraphics may take into account the quality of the display, such as knownviewing angle parameters (e.g., maximum angle from center that thedisplay may be clearly viewed and a smaller angle at which viewingquality starts to degrade), in order to optimize the appearance ofcontent. Also, portions of the display that may not be viewable from theangle to the user may be dimmed or turned off.

In one embodiment, the orientation of the user relative to theorientation of the electronic device 10 may be determined. For example,the electronic device 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in a vertical orientationand the eyes of a vertically oriented user positioned in front of thedisplay 14 may be laterally offset from one another. But if the userwere to rotate the electronic device 10 to be horizontal, or if the userwere to change his or her position with respect to the electronic device10, then the eyes may be detected to be vertically offset from oneanother. Upon such a determination, the content displayed on the displaymay be rotated to match the relative orientation of the electronicdevice 14 and the user.

The manner in which the display management function 12 changes displayedcontent may be based on default settings of the electronic device 10.Alternatively, the user may be involved in setting how and when thedisplay management function 12 changes displayed content as a functionof user distance to the display 14. In one embodiment, if facerecognition is used, the identity of the user may be ascertained and thedisplayed content may be adjusted based on the user's preferences forvisual layout and/or font size.

As indicated, the illustrated electronic device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and2 is a mobile telephone. Features of the electronic device 10, whenimplemented as a mobile telephone, now will be described. The electronicdevice 10 is shown as having a “brick” or “block” form factor housing,but it will be appreciated that other housing types may be utilized,such as a “flip-open” form factor (e.g., a “clamshell” housing) or aslide-type form factor (e.g., a “slider” housing).

The display 14 displays information to the user such as operating state,time, telephone numbers, contact information, various menus, etc., thatenable the user to utilize the various features of the electronic device10. The display 14 also may be used to visually display content receivedby the electronic device 10 and/or retrieved from a memory 34 (FIG. 2)of the electronic device 10. The display 14 may be used to presentimages, video and other graphics to the user, such as photographs,mobile television content and video associated with games.

A keypad 36 provides for a variety of user input operations. Forexample, the keypad 36 may include alphanumeric keys for allowing entryof alphanumeric information such as telephone numbers, phone lists,contact information, notes, text, etc. In addition, the keypad 36 mayinclude special function keys such as a “call send” key for initiatingor answering a call, and a “call end” key for ending or “hanging up” acall. Special function keys also may include menu navigation and selectkeys to facilitate navigating through a menu displayed on the display14. For instance, a pointing device and/or navigation keys may bepresent to accept directional inputs from a user. Keys or key-likefunctionality also may be embodied as a touch screen associated with thedisplay 14. Also, the display 14 and keypad 36 may be used inconjunction with one another to implement soft key functionality.

The electronic device 10 includes call circuitry that enables theelectronic device 10 to establish a call and/or exchange signals with acalled/calling device, which typically may be another mobile telephoneor landline telephone. However, the called/calling device need not beanother telephone, but may be some other device such as an Internet webserver, content providing server, etc. Calls may take any suitable form.For example, the call could be a conventional call that is establishedover a cellular circuit-switched network or a voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP) call that is established over a packet-switchedcapability of a cellular network or over an alternative packet-switchednetwork, such as WiFi (e.g., a network based on the IEEE 802.11standard), WiMax (e.g., a network based on the IEEE 802.16 standard),etc. Another example includes a video enabled call that is establishedover a cellular or alternative network.

The electronic device 10 may be configured to transmit, receive and/orprocess data, such as text messages, instant messages, electronic mailmessages, multimedia messages, image files, video files, audio files,ring tones, streaming audio, streaming video, data feeds (includingpodcasts and really simple syndication (RSS) data feeds), and so forth.It is noted that a text message is commonly referred to by some as “anSMS,” which stands for simple message service. SMS is a typical standardfor exchanging text messages. Similarly, a multimedia message iscommonly referred to by some as “an MMS,” which stands for multimediamessage service. MMS is a typical standard for exchanging multimediamessages. Processing data may include storing the data in the memory 34,executing applications to allow user interaction with the data,displaying video and/or image content associated with the data,outputting audio sounds associated with the data, and so forth.

FIG. 2 represents a functional block diagram of the electronic device10. For the sake of brevity, many features of the electronic device 10will not be described in great detail. The electronic device 10 includesa primary control circuit 38 that is configured to carry out overallcontrol of the functions and operations of the electronic device 10. Thecontrol circuit 20 may include a processing device 40, such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU), microcontroller or microprocessor. The processingdevice 40 executes code stored in a memory (not shown) within thecontrol circuit 38 and/or in a separate memory, such as the memory 34,in order to carry out operation of the electronic device 10. The memory34 may be, for example, one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a harddrive, a removable media, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, arandom access memory (RAM), or other suitable device. In a typicalarrangement, the memory 34 may include a non-volatile memory (e.g., aflash memory) for long term data storage and a volatile memory (e.g.,RAM) that functions as system memory for the control circuit 38. Thememory 34 may exchange data with the control circuit 38 over a data bus.Accompanying control lines and an address bus between the memory 34 andthe control circuit 38 also may be present.

In addition to other application, the processing device 40 may executecode that implements the display management function 12. While thedisplay management function 12 is executed by the processing device 40in accordance with an embodiment, such functionality could also becarried out via dedicated hardware or firmware, or some combination ofhardware, firmware and/or software.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic device 10 includesan antenna 42 coupled to a radio circuit 44. The radio circuit 44includes a radio frequency transmitter and receiver for transmitting andreceiving signals via the antenna 42. It will be appreciated that theillustrated antenna 42 and radio circuit 44 may represent one or morethan one radio access transceivers. The radio circuit 44 may beconfigured to operate in a mobile communications system and may be usedto send and receive data and/or audiovisual content. Receiver types forinteraction with a mobile radio network and/or broadcasting networkinclude, but are not limited to, global system for mobile communications(GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA),general packet radio service (GPRS), WiFi, WiMax, digital videobroadcasting-handheld (DVB-H), integrated services digital broadcasting(ISDB), etc., as well as advanced versions of these standards.

The electronic device 10 further includes a sound signal processingcircuit 46 for processing audio signals transmitted by and received fromthe radio circuit 44. Coupled to the sound processing circuit 46 are aspeaker 48 and a microphone 50 that enable a user to listen and speakvia the electronic device 10 as is conventional. The radio circuit 44and sound processing circuit 46 are each coupled to the control circuit38 so as to carry out overall operation. Audio data may be passed fromthe control circuit 38 to the sound signal processing circuit 46 forplayback to the user. The audio data may include, for example, audiodata from an audio file stored by the memory 34 and retrieved by thecontrol circuit 38, or received audio data such as in the form ofstreaming audio data from a mobile radio service. The sound processingcircuit 46 may include any appropriate buffers, decoders, amplifiers andso forth.

The display 14 may be coupled to the control circuit 38 by a videoprocessing circuit 52 that converts video data to a video signal used todrive the display 14. The video processing circuit 52 may include anyappropriate buffers, decoders, video data processors and so forth. Thevideo data may be generated by the control circuit 38, retrieved from avideo file that is stored in the memory 34, derived from an incomingvideo data stream that is received by the radio circuit 44 or obtainedby any other suitable method.

The electronic device 10 may further include one or more I/Ointerface(s) 54. The I/O interface(s) 54 may be in the form of typicalmobile telephone I/O interfaces and may include one or more electricalconnectors. As is typical, the I/O interface(s) 54 may be used to couplethe electronic device 10 to a battery charger to charge a battery of apower supply unit (PSU) 56 within the electronic device 10. In addition,or in the alternative, the I/O interface(s) 54 may serve to connect theelectronic device 10 to a headset assembly (e.g., a personal handsfree(PHF) device) that has a wired interface with the electronic device 10.Further, the I/O interface(s) 54 may serve to connect the electronicdevice 10 to a personal computer or other device via a data cable forthe exchange of data. The electronic device 10 may receive operatingpower via the I/O interface(s) 54 when connected to a vehicle poweradapter or an electricity outlet power adapter. The PSU 56 may supplypower to operate the electronic device 10 in the absence of an externalpower source.

The electronic device 10 also may include a system clock 58 for clockingthe various components of the electronic device 10, such as the controlcircuit 38 and the memory 34.

In addition to the imaging device 16, the electronic device 10 mayinclude a camera 60 for taking digital pictures and/or movies.Typically, a field of view of the camera 60 has generally an oppositedirection as the field of view of the imaging device 16. Image and/orvideo files corresponding to the pictures and/or movies captured by thecamera 60 may be stored using the memory 34.

The electronic device 10 also may include a position data receiver 62,such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, Galileo satellitesystem receiver or the like. The position data receiver 62 may beinvolved in determining the location of the electronic device 10 and/ormay provide location information to a navigation and/or mappingapplication.

The electronic device 10 also may include a local wireless interface 64,such as an infrared transceiver and/or an RF interface (e.g., aBluetooth interface), for establishing communication with an accessory,another mobile radio terminal, a computer or another device. Forexample, the local wireless interface 64 may operatively couple theelectronic device 10 to a headset assembly (e.g., a PHF device) in anembodiment where the headset assembly has a corresponding wirelessinterface.

With additional reference to FIG. 8, the electronic device 10 may beconfigured to operate as part of a communications system 66. The system66 may include a communications network 68 having a server 70 (orservers) for managing calls placed by and destined to the electronicdevice 10, transmitting data to the electronic device 10 and carryingout any other support functions. The server 70 communicates with theelectronic device 10 via a transmission medium. The transmission mediummay be any appropriate device or assembly, including, for example, acommunications tower (e.g., a cell tower), another mobile telephone, awireless access point, a satellite, etc. Portions of the network mayinclude wireless transmission pathways. The network 68 may support thecommunications activity of multiple mobile telephones 10 and other typesof end user devices. As will be appreciated, the server 70 may beconfigured as a typical computer system used to carry out serverfunctions and may include a processor configured to execute softwarecontaining logical instructions that embody the functions of the server70 and a memory to store such software.

Although certain embodiments have been shown and described, it isunderstood that equivalents and modifications falling within the scopeof the appended claims will occur to others who are skilled in the artupon the reading and understanding of this specification.

1. A method of controlling visual content that is displayed on a displayof an electronic device, comprising: analyzing a video signal to detectfacial features of a user of the electronic device and to establish aparameter indicative of a distance of the user form the display based onthe detected facial features; and adjusting the displayed content basedon the parameter to facilitate user viewing of the displayed content atthe indicated distance by varying a layout of a plurality of windowsdisplayed on the display so that the plurality of windows are displayedin one of a side-by-side arrangement when the user is less than apredetermined distance from the display or an overlapping arrangementwhen the user is greater than the predetermined distance from thedisplay; and wherein the analyzing further includes determining aviewing angle of the user with respect to the display and the adjustingfurther includes skewing the displayed content so as to be non-uniformlyvarying in size across the display based on the viewing angle.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the parameter is derived from a relationshipbetween at least two of the detected facial features.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the analyzing further includes determining a relativeorientation of the user to the electronic device about an axis formedbetween the user's eyes and the display of the electronic device and theadjusting further includes rotating the orientation of the displayedcontent to match the relative orientation of the user and the electronicdevice about the axis.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayedcontent is content other than the video signal, and the adjustingfurther includes changing a layout of visual elements from the displayedcontent, wherein the changing the layout of visual elements furtherincludes changing a selection and arrangement of visual elements thatmake up the displayed content.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein thecontent includes an image and a size of the image is changed by scalingthe image.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the content includes textand the size of the text is changed by at least one of changing pointsize of the text or changing a font of the text.
 7. The method of claim4, wherein when the indicated distance is less than a predeterminedthreshold, the displayed content includes a plurality of items of visualcontent; and the method further includes detecting that the indicateddistance has increased to be greater than the predetermined thresholdand, upon the detection, the changing the layout includes removing atleast one of the plurality of displayed items from the display andincreasing a size of a remaining one of the items.
 8. An electronicdevice, comprising: an imaging device that generates a video signalcontaining a representation of a user of the electronic device; adisplay that displays visual content to the user; and a controllerconfigured to analyze the video signal to detect facial features of theuser of the electronic device and establish a parameter indicative of adistance of the user from the display based on the detected facialfeatures, and wherein the controller adjusts the displayed content basedon the parameter to facilitate user viewing of the displayed content atthe indicated distance by varying a layout of a plurality of windowsdisplayed on the display so that the plurality of windows are displayedin one of a side-by-side arrangement when the user is less than apredetermined distance from the display or an overlapping arrangementwhen the user is greater than the predetermined distance from thedisplay.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the parameter isderived from a relationship between at least two of the detected facialfeatures.
 10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controlleris further configured to determine a relative orientation of the user tothe electronic device about an axis formed between the user's eyes andthe display of the electronic device and rotate the orientation of thedisplayed content to match the relative orientation of the user and theelectronic device about the axis.
 11. The electronic device of claim 8,wherein the displayed content is content other than the video signal,and the controller changes a layout of visual elements from thedisplayed content, wherein the change in layout of visual elementsincludes a change in a selection and arrangement of visual elements thatmake up the displayed content.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11,wherein the content includes an image and a size of the image is changedby scaling the image.
 13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein thecontent includes text and the size of the text is changed by at leastone of changing point size of the text or changing a font of the text.14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein when the indicateddistance is less than a predetermined threshold, the displayed contentincludes a plurality of items of visual content; and the controller isfurther configured to detect that the indicated distance has increasedto be greater than the predetermined threshold and, upon the detection,the change in layout includes removing at least one of the plurality ofdisplayed items from the display and increasing a size of a remainingone of the items.
 15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein thecontroller is further configured to determine a viewing angle of theuser with respect to the display and the adjustment to the displayedcontent further includes skewing the displayed content so as to benon-uniformly varying in size across the display based on the viewingangle.